Man in the Mirror
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: The man she loves is just an average, hard-working shinobi defending his village. Standing with him in front of the mirror, that's easy to believe. But the moment she blinks, his reflection changes to a man that's hard for her to love... Oro/OC
1. Sensei

**Anybody else think that the form Orochimaru took when he was posing as Dosu, Zaku, and Kin's sensei was HAWT? I mean, seriously! I love his regular form but... GOD. I think it's what he would have looked like if he didn't look like he already does. I wonder whose body he stole because I would fangirl that person. Looks like, you know, an average Jonin from the Sound Village. I like average ninjas. (WOW, that sentence was a contradiction in itself...)**

**I don't own Naruto, Orochimaru, OR that cutie who was formerly a person before Orochimaru stole his face and y'know... pretended to be a sensei. But they're both hot. ^^**

**Hope you enjoy!**

You know those stupid, sappy romance novels? The ones about people who are from two different worlds, but then get close and learn to love each other? Everyone warns the young couple, tries to keep them apart, but they find ways to meet anyway. "You're wrong for each other!" they all say. "He can never give you all you need! She could never love someone like you!" And all their friends and their family turn on them and beg them to find someone else and forget. But they don't, they keep going. They kiss and they touch and eventually they become one by way of a sacred dance beneath the flowing, rolling sheets of a secret bed behind closed doors.

35-year-old Yumei Ochizuki _knew_ she should have stopped reading those books long ago... but she couldn't very well turn down the novels of her best friend's childhood punching bag. They _were_ good books... she just read too many of them, and she would even reread them until new ones were released.

That was probably why she was feeling the way she was now. She was staring over at that well-built, black-vested Jonin of the Sound Village. He was the personification of the phrase "tall drink of water"... what with his almost pearly pale skin, contrasting sharply behind the thick waves of dark, jet black hair, restrained into that rope of a ponytail. His features were perfectly formed, with a small, fine nose, rounded chin, and best of all, the sweetly seductive eyes. She could see the passion beneath the golden orbs, the fact that he was never going to stop until he got what he wanted. Why did she find that trait so... sexy?

"Yumei Sensei," one of her students, the bookworm Koiro, complained, tugging at her sleeve. "Why are we hiding in a bush staring at some weird Sound ninja?"

Yumei sighed. Sometimes she cursed the fact that she was the leader of an all-boys team. Why didn't they just assign another male Jonin to them? Because this would be a bonding experience for all of them, apparently. Um, _hell no_. She was a girl, they were boys. Where was the bonding? Was she supposed to try and be a "mother figure" to them? They didn't even listen to her as their sensei, except for Koiro, but he was a teacher's pet to any sensei. If she were a guy that would definitely be a different story. They would _listen_ to a man.

"Yeah, why is that?" Koiro's brother, training enthusiast Kaido, agreed.

"Can't we just kick their butts?" That last voice was her third student, Haru, and unfortunately he was the same type of person as Kaido. They both thought men should be able to protect women, and that women couldn't fight for themselves... despite that they were Genin and their sensei was a Jonin, they were always trying to jump in the way and "defend" her if she was trying to fight someone. "They're Sound ninja! I mean seriously, _Sound ninja_! They're enemies!"

"Technically it doesn't even make sense," Koiro sighed. "According to my calculations, it should be impossible to hide _anything_ in sound - especially an entire village."

"Go tell _them_ that, why don't you, maybe they'll beat you up," Yumei muttered, shaking her head and letting go of the bushes so nobody could see through them. "I, um... I need an excuse to go and talk to him! Anything at all! Any ideas?"

The boys were just looking at her blankly. "Huh?" Kaido asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why you wanna talk to the enemy?" Haru questioned, the look on his face one of utter disbelief.

"It's highly illogical, Yumei Sensei," Koiro added, obviously not able to resist adding his two cents. "There is no reason why you would need to-"

"I wanna talk to him because he's _cute_, okay!" Yumei glared at all three of her students. "I am far past being a Christmas cake, guys, and I should be married. You think I'm gonna find love in my own village if I haven't already? I've been looking for the better part of almost twenty years!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Besides, there's no _real_ rule against dating someone from another village. Now, ideas! Give me excuses to go over there and make conversation with the man."

"Yumei Sensei, he's gotta be, like, ten years younger than you," Kaido commented.

"I didn't ask for details! Come on, give me _something_ to work with!"

"But Yumei Sensei-" Koiro began.

"The one who gives me the best excuse won't get flunked all the way back to the Academy!"

"Um, um, um..." was all Kaido could manage.

"Go over and tell him he has a cute ass!" Haru threw out there.

"... Okay, um, even _if_ I thought that... why would you suggest that?"

Haru shrugged. "I hear my sister say that to guys all the time and they always grin and kiss her. So it seems like if you wanted him to kiss you..."

Yumei groaned. "Okay, _anything_ else? I'm not going with that, it would sound stupid for me to say that. I'm in my mid-thirties. Oh, and you're held back to do an extra hour of training for using an expletive. I wish you guys wouldn't act so stupid because it's more punishing _me_ than you. _Next_!"

"Ask him if you can borrow a kunai!" was Koiro's contribution. "Say one of us forgot ours, the rest of us only have one, and you don't have yours on you."

She smiled. "Thank you for the least dumb decision! You don't get sent back to Iruka Sensei." She rolled her eyes at the other two. "Your futures, however, may include being target practice for six-year-olds. I'll be back in a few minutes, _don't leave this spot_ if you value your lives. And your arms." She prepared to stand up.

"Um, Yumei Sensei...?" Koiro raised his hand. "Before you do that, there's something you should know..." He sheepishly pointed behind her.

She deadpanned and jerked her thumb backward where Koiro was pointing. She could pretty much guess what he was trying to tell her.

"... He's right behind me, isn't he?"

**Yumei = my blending of the names Yumi and Yume. Yumi means "bow" as in bow and arrow, and Yume means "dream". So... "dreaming bow" or "a bow of the dream"? Something like that.**

**Ochizuki = This is me attempting to create a surname by murdering the word "Ichizoku" which means "clan". XD If this seriously means something in Japanese, somebody TELL ME so I can see if I got it right for Yumei's clan... lol...**

**Koiro = Ummm... the word ko meaning "child" and the word iro meaning "color", so together I guess it means "child of the colors"...**

**Kaido = A mix of the words kai ("seashell") and do ("degree"), roughly translating to "degree of the seashell". What the hell that's supposed to mean, I dunno. I made it up. XD Don't y'all love me?**

**Haru = OK, THIS ONE I ACTUALLY KNOW! It means "spring". :D Quite a manly name if you ask me...**

**Well, this chapter was a little humorous, but it will get darker and more drama-fied later.**

**Drop me a line if you liked! ^^**


	2. Touch

Yumei was scared to turn around because this _entire_ time, they'd been talking about the fact that she thought the other sensei was cute. _Hot_, she could have even said. How was she supposed to face him after saying stuff like that, besides looking for a _fake_ reason to go and speak to him?

She swallowed her fear and slowly turned her head back to face him. And there were his black-slitted golden eyes, traced by dark eyeliner and staring right back into hers with the most seductive expression. She cursed herself _and_ him; what the hell was it about him, anyway, that made her want him? She sheepishly raised a hand and blushed as she waved her fingers at her fellow Jonin. "Um... hi there."

The smirk stretched even farther across his face. "Good afternoon. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, _Sensei_." He held out a hand to help her to her feet. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that you don't conceal your presence very well. In fact, your whole team seems to have a problem with it. They all talk too loud."

Yumei rolled her eyes, but got up by herself, not wanting to accept his hand. She was independent, she didn't need anyone being chivalrous. Though... it was a pleasant change to be _offered_ help, what with all the men she seemed to coerce into wanting to fight her. None of _them_ would have offered to help her up. "They're boys. They can't really help it."

He shrugged. "Ah,well... you know how boys are." His eyes narrowed, looking even more seductive. "_Always_ causing... trouble and being... _naughty_."

A warm shiver climbed up and down Yumei's spine several times before she could speak. "Y-Yeah, well... just yeah." She turned back to her team, only to see that Kaido and Haru had rushed over to the only female of the other Jonin's team. They were both trying to talk to her, attempting to impress her with their bragging. Koiro, however, was just sitting there looking up at his sensei and waiting for his next orders. "..."

The other Jonin chuckled and walked over to his female student, putting his hands on her shoulders. "It would seem you've attracted the attention of two young suitors, Kin-chan."

The girl, Kin, gave a smirk as one boy took each of her hands. "It would seem so, Sensei." She fluttered her eyelashes in an alluring way and cocked her head, looking from Haru to Kaido. "So... which one of you wants to make out with me?"

Both boys' eyes nearly popped out of their skulls as they raised their free hands.

"Well, I'll tell you what." She giggled, but that giggle had a slightly... menacing undertone. She let go of their hands, assuming a starting position as if to get ready for a dash against someone else. "If one of you can beat me in a race, I'll give the winner a kiss on the cheek."

Both boys looked each other, missing the girl blurring past them. Once they noticed that she was gone, they took off, each trying to beat the girl - and each other.

Yumei spread her hands, facing the direction they'd just split in, hoping to achieve a sarcastic look. "Yeah, ditch my class! See if I don't send you flying back to the Academy to wash the bathrooms for Iruka!" She sighed and gave Koiro a pat on the head. "You guys can have the rest of the day off, I guess. Follow your brother and make sure he doesn't cause any problems."

"So make sure he doesn't snap anyone's bra?"

"Basically."

"Okay. Bye, Sensei." He started off after his two teammates.

The other Jonin turned to the remainder of his team, two young males - both looked rather scruffy, unlike the girl, but it wasn't really Yumei's place to say anything about it so she just kept her mouth shut. "Dosu, Zaku, you two can head off as well. You've done enough training for today."

They both nodded and bowed before taking off in the same direction as their female companion. "Thank you, Maru Sensei!"

The Jonin gazed after his team for a few seconds, then turned back to her and gave a slight smirk - which had never really left his face, but still. "Pleasure to meet you."

A very light blush rose up in Yumei's cheeks, so she just clasped her hands at her chest and bowed appropriately instead of allowing it to show. "The pleasure is all mine." When she glanced up a bit, she saw him bowing to her as well. "I am Yumei Ochizuki, Jonin of Konohagakure. May I have the honor of knowing whose company I am in?"

When she stood up, so did he. He held out his hand palm up, presumably for her to place her hand in. "My name is Maru. I am a Jonin of the Sound."

Yumei raised an eyebrow before cautiously placing her hand in his. This wasn't the way people normally shook hands... did they have a different way of doing that in Otogakure?

However, he didn't shake her hand. He brought her hand to his face and his lips brushed gently over her knuckles; the touch was so light that a younger kunoichi would dismiss it as her imagination, denying that it had even happened at all. But Yumei was experienced, and she had fallen victim to this kind of courteous behavior once already. She knew it had truly happened.

"I must say..." he muttered against her fingers. "We don't have women like you in my village. I've never seen someone lovelier." He let go of her hand and transferred his touch to her cheek. "Your eyes are beautiful. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"I've heard it once or twice." She reached up and slid her hand over his, taking a good, long look into his aureate eyes. They were hypnotizing, like a snake charmer. And she was the snake. "Your hair. The sun is hitting it just right, and it looks like silk. How long did it take to grow it out like that?"

"A while." He leaned down and he was so close that if he suddenly lose his balance they would be kissing. "Would you like to touch it?"

She blinked a few times, just looking into his eyes. She wasn't sure if she wanted to. Of course she'd touched other people's hair, mostly other girls', but that was only because she was braiding it or somehow styling it. She had never touched someone else's hair just for the sake of touching it. "I don't know. Do you want me to?"

"If that's what pleases you. That's all I'm hoping to do."

She reached over and brushed a section of the long bangs off the side of his face and twirled it around in her fingers. It was smooth and dark and it felt like water was flowing over her hand. "... I like it."

"I'm glad you do." His free hand found its way to her bun, quickly and effortlessly removing her hair tie to let her fucshia locks tumble down to midway down her back. A little caught off guard, this made her idly wonder how fast he could undo a woman's bra. The thought of that excited her for some reason, and she had to fight against the raging blush trying to occupy her entire face. "I like your hair too. It's such a pretty color."

Her hair was dark magenta, not quite red but not really pink either. Several times when she was younger she had been made fun of for it, but it didn't happen anymore. Mostly she'd gotten called Strawberry by Hizashi Hyuga, who had been older than her at the time, but he didn't really mean it. He just liked to tease her because he thought of her like a little sister. "Thank you." She swallowed and directed her eyes lower on his body... like in the range of his flak jacket, which was a shade to match his hair. She was sure he didn't know it but she was silently and progressively undressing him with her eyes. She had just gotten that sweater under his jacket off... "W-Would you maybe... be interested in... I-I mean, there's this new movie out... and it's based on one of those Icha Icha novels... they're written by one of my friends and I really like them... and i-it's supposed to be really good... so I was just wondering if... maybe we could, I dunno..."

"Shh." His hands fell, and one arm snaked around her waist, pulling her body close to his. His other hand travled to her face and pressed a finger to her lips, as he cast a gaze into her eyes that she was sure would be best classified under the phrase "sexually predacious". He slid his arm lower, so that it was now around her hips and dangerously close to her backside. "Dress casual tomorrow. I'll pick you up at three."

**XD WOW...**

**Okay, this chapter was SUPPOSED to be kind of hot. You know, with all the foreplay and stuff between Yumei and "Maru" (who we know is really _Orochi_maru but don't tell Yumei because she isn't supposed to know yet!). This chapter was all about giving an insight of the first... we'll say week of their relationship. "Maru" is trying to get close to her, giving her reasons to get turned on and flustered when he gets near. He's attempting to send her signals that he is sexually interested in her while really not feeling a thing. SEE HOW EVIL THE MAN IS? It's like starting your car and not getting to drive it anywhere.**

**Not that _I_ would know... XD But seriously, if people are calling me an idiot for believing in not having sex until marriage (I've had it happen before, I was agreeing with a colleague and we both were called stupid for that), then please don't leave any flames. Thank you!**

**Hope you enjoyed my awkward attempt at attraction on a sexual level! XD**

**Maybe I shouldn't put it like that... hmm... well, hope you liked it anyway! ^^**


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